My friend Maddie had recently moved to a new apartment and needed help decorating her new room. After visiting my apartment she decided that she could trust me with this task (this usually happens when people visit my apt) and since I love decorating I gladly agreed to help her.

We met at her place on a Sunday and got to work. More like play!

What we were up against1. The problem - the eye didn't travel the room. It was focused on one spot only. A common decorating mistake.

When I walked into Maddie's room my eyes went directly to the corner where she had beautiful bright red flowers in a white vase. See picture below on the left. Next the eyes saw her bed with pillows that had bright flowers on them to complement the flower in the corner. The problem was that both of these bright, attention getting spots were in exactly the same location or too close to each other.

2. Another issue was the fact that everything was floor level. This is very common - we tend to keep that picture frame on the floor for months before putting it up, and even after putting it up the placement may be too low or in the wrong spot. See the photo on the right below. Again, the eye doesn't travel the room or is kept in one spot or one level of the room.

3. Another corner needed help. The placement of furniture was inefficient and crowded one corner. Again, this is also very common. By the window Maddie had a chest of drawers and right next to it another taller chest of drawers. In the taller chest she kept some of her clothes. This meant that she had to cross the room to get her clothes from the tall chest and then walk all the way back to her bathroom where her closet and the mirror are. Not only did this placement of furniture create an imbalance in the room, it also created an inconvenience for Maddie.

SolutionsFirst, we needed to set some requirements. We were not about to buy a whole bunch of new furniture and decorations and spend thousands of dollars! All of the above could easily be fixed by moving things around.

1. We rearranged the furniture to create efficiency and movement. We, right then and there, moved the tall chest of drawers from the corner of the room to the other side of the room, right next to Maddie's bathroom and closet. See photo below on the right.

2. We put up the picture high up on the wall between the bed and the tall chest of drawers. This rebalanced the room and made the eye travel upwards as well. Also, when you first look into Maddie's room you see what you now see in the photo on the right. Before Maddie had a big side table with lots of items on it. This looked messy, even though it wasn't and that's all you could look at. Now you can look at the pretty art up on the wall.

3. We moved the shorter chest of drawers from underneath the window and into the corner. This allowed us to put the bright red flowers in a white vase in the corner creating space between the two bright spots - the flowers and her pillows on the bed.

4. That's it! That's all it took to make Maddie's room look like it now does in the below photo without the need to get anything.

Maddie's room after quick initial re-decor

Afterwards Maddie and I sat down in her living room and made a wish list for her room:

Wish list (even rooms have wish lists :)

Maddie's goal is to phase out the dark furniture and eventually own lighter furniture.

Maddie wants to get a desk for her room so she doesn't have to be stuck in the kitchen or at the dining table as her only workspace. The table can be the first lighter furniture item.

To add more storage to her room Maddie is looking into getting dresser drawers to place in front of her bed. This would be the first step towards lighter furniture. Remember, you CAN match different color furniture without making it look bad.

A pair of curtains will frame her window and make it more noticeable, further allowing the eye to travel the room.

To do'sOh yes, we are not done yet! Maddie and I logged into IKEA's website and looked at desks, dressers, and curtains. We added the ones that she liked to a list and emailed the list to her.Next we will visit IKEA and use the list to see the items in person and purchase them if she likes them. Efficiency!

While we were at it I rearranged a few items on the kitchen counter in less than a minute and Maddie loved it. No more messy chargers and face blocking bouquets.

What about me?How about your room? Is it just how you want it to be? Remember, holidays are around the corner and there's no better time to get your room decorated just the way you want. After all, you may have guests over. Need help? I'd love to help you with your room or any other room in your house! Just let me know.

Like this post? Let me know by liking it on facebook and I'll be sure to post more.